Wireless radio switching

ABSTRACT

Examples are provided for establishing a bonded zone comprising a first playback device comprising a respective first wireless radio and a second playback device comprising a second respective wireless radio. The first and second playback devices may establish a bonded zone comprising at least the first and second playback device. While in the established bonded zone, the first playback device may determine that the first playback device is in the established bonded zone and that the first playback device is not currently playing audio in synchrony with the second playback device. Responsive to determining that the first playback device is not playing audio in synchrony, the first playback device may disable communicating via the first wireless radio of the first playback device and send a message to the second playback device to disable communicating via the first wireless radio of the second playback device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This disclosure claims the benefit of priority as a continuation under35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/691,323 entitled“Wireless Radio Switching” filed on Apr. 20, 2015, the contents of whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, tomethods, systems, products, features, services, and other elementsdirected to media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Options for accessing and listening to digital audio in an out-loudsetting were limited until in 2003, when SONOS, Inc., filed for one ofits first patent applications, entitled “Method for Synchronizing AudioPlayback between Multiple Networked Devices,” and began offering a mediaplayback system for sale in 2005. The Sonos Wireless HiFi System enablespeople to experience music from many sources via one or more networkedplayback devices. Through a software control application installed on asmartphone, tablet, or computer, one can play what he or she wants inany room that has a networked playback device. Additionally, using thecontroller, for example, different songs can be streamed to each roomwith a playback device, rooms can be grouped together for synchronousplayback, or the same song can be heard in all rooms synchronously.

Given the ever growing interest in digital media, there continues to bea need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhancethe listening experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologymay be better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an example media playback system configuration in whichcertain embodiments may be practiced;

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device;

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device;

FIG. 4 shows an example controller interface;

FIG. 5 shows an internal functional block diagram of an example primaryzone player to manage wireless radios;

FIG. 6 shows an internal functional block diagram of an examplesatellite zone player to manage wireless radios in combination with theexample primary zone player of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an example zone player system includinga first primary zone player acting as a stand-alone zone and a secondprimary zone player in a bonded group;

FIG. 8 shows the example zone player system of FIG. 7 when a satellitezone player has been grouped with the primary zone player acting as astand-alone zone;

FIGS. 9-11 show flowcharts representative of example methods to managewireless radios in a playback device;

FIG. 12 show a flowchart representative of an example method to manageswitching wireless radios of a playback device in a bonded zone;

FIG. 13 shows an example environment in which certain embodiments may bepracticed;

The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments,but it is understood that the inventions are not limited to thearrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

In the present application, systems and methods are provided to offer aunique wired, wireless, or both wired and wireless audio solution thatallows audio content to, among other things, be played in a singlelistening zone or across multiple listening zones simultaneously and insynchrony. The audio content may be played out loud or using headphones,for instance. In an example, such a system may include audio devices,often referred to as zone players, players or playback devices, andcontrollers, which may also be a player. One or more controllers may beused to control the system, and may include capabilities for browsingand selecting audio content for playback, viewing and editing audiocontent in one or more playback queues, or grouping and ungrouping zoneplayers into one or more listening zones, etc. The system may operate,in some embodiments, as a distributed system such that each controllerhas full control over the entire system, and each player has the abilityto play audio content from either a same audio source or a differentaudio source as another player.

Example systems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacturedisclosed herein manage wireless radios in a playback device. Examplesystem, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture disclosed hereinmay be advantageously used to provide wireless playback of audio in ahome theater environment while conserving power used by the playbackdevices. Embodiments disclosed herein may be further useful in systemsin which the playback devices are not coupled to a continuous powersource (e.g., operate via batteries).

As described in greater detail below, the systems, methods, apparatus,and articles of manufacture disclosed herein can provide a user of anaudio playback device with a control method using different user inputdevices. In an example of operation, a home theater audio system isconnected to a television. The example home theater audio systemincludes a sound bar positioned near the television and directed at aviewer, two satellite speakers positioned in front of and on the leftand right sides of the viewer, two satellite speakers positioned behindand on the left and right sides of the viewer, and a subwoofer (whichmay be a type of satellite speaker). In this example, the sound barestablishes and controls a network that wirelessly connects to each ofthe satellite speakers and the subwoofer. In home theater mode, theexample home theater audio system may play back audio corresponding tovideo played on the television.

Continuing with the example, the sound bar receives audio from thetelevision (or other audio or video source devices such as a CD, DVD, orBlu-Ray™ player, or separately via an Internet audio or video streamingservice), and transmits respective audio to the satellite speakers andthe subwoofer. The example sound bar can communicate with other zoneplayers in the system via wireless channels in a first wirelessspectrum, such as a 2.4 GHz channel, and can communicate (e.g.,concurrently communicate) with other zone players such as the satellitespeakers and the subwoofer via wireless channels in a second wirelessspectrum, such as a 5 GHz spectrum channel. However, in some instances,it may not be advantageous to continuously maintain connectivity via thefirst and second wireless spectrums. For example, when the home theatersystem is not being accessed by a user (e.g., the user is not watchingthe television), examples disclosed herein disable communicating withthe satellite speakers via wireless channels in the second wirelessspectrum. In some such examples, the sound bar conserves power bydisabling wireless spectrum radios that communicate via the secondwireless spectrum.

In some examples, the sound bar communicates (e.g., receives and/ortransmits) control information (e.g., configuration information,keep-alive probes, channel probes, power savings information, etc.) viawireless channels in the first wireless spectrum and communicates audioinformation (e.g., audio content, playback commands, etc.) via wirelesschannels in the second wireless spectrum. Embodiments disclosed hereindisable a wireless radio of the sound bar (e.g., a second wirelessspectrum radio) when the sound bar is grouped with at least onesatellite speaker (e.g., the sound bar is in a bonded zone) and thesound bar is not playing back audio information. For example, while thesound bar is idle (e.g., not receiving audio information such as audiocontent from the television and/or a satellite speaker in the bondedzone), the sound bar disables the second wireless spectrum radio. Tolimit loss in communication between the sound bar and the speakers, insome such examples, the sound bar communicates a message (e.g., a probe)to the satellite speakers and the subwoofer instructing the respectivespeaker to switch to communicating via wireless channels in the firstwireless spectrum.

Some embodiments disclosed herein disable the second wireless radio whenone or more playback devices in a bonded zone are offline (e.g.,powered-off, unplugged, etc.). For example, in response to controlinformation (e.g., configuration information indicating a satellitespeaker is offline) and/or the lack of control information (e.g., nokeep-alive probe sent from a satellite speaker, no acknowledgmentresponse to a keep-alive probe, etc.), the sound bar may disable thesecond wireless radio. Additional or alternative embodiments may disablethe second wireless radio when the sound bar is the only playback deviceonline in a bonded zone. For example, in the home theater systemdescribed above, the sound bar may disable the second wireless radio inresponse to the satellite speakers and the subwoofer being offline.

While some examples described herein may refer to functions performed bygiven actors such as “users” and/or other entities, it should beunderstood that this is for purposes of explanation only. The claimsshould not be interpreted to require action by any such example actorunless explicitly required by the language of the claims themselves. Itwill be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that thisdisclosure includes numerous other embodiments.

II. Example Operating Environment

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a media playback system 100 inwhich one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced orimplemented. The media playback system 100 as shown is associated withan example home environment having several rooms and spaces, such as forexample, a master bedroom, an office, a dining room, and a living room.As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the media playback system 100includes playback devices 102-124, control devices 126 and 128, and awired or wireless network router 130.

Further discussions relating to the different components of the examplemedia playback system 100 and how the different components may interactto provide a user with a media experience may be found in the followingsections. While discussions herein may generally refer to the examplemedia playback system 100, technologies described herein are not limitedto applications within, among other things, the home environment asshown in FIG. 1. For instance, the technologies described herein may beuseful in environments where multi-zone audio may be desired, such as acommercial setting like a restaurant, mall or airport, a vehicle like asports utility vehicle (SUV), bus or car, a ship or boat, an airplane,and so on.

a. Example Playback Devices

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device200 that may be configured to be one or more of the playback devices102-124 of the media playback system 100 of FIG. 1. The example playbackdevice 200 of FIG. 2 includes a processor 202, software components 204,memory 206, audio processing components 208, audio amplifier(s) 210,speaker(s) 212, and a network interface 214 including wirelessinterface(s) 216 and wired interface(s) 218. In one case, the playbackdevice 200 may not include the speaker(s) 212, but rather a speakerinterface for connecting the playback device 200 to external speakers.In another case, the playback device 200 may include neither thespeaker(s) 212 nor the audio amplifier(s) 210, but rather an audiointerface for connecting the playback device 200 to an external audioamplifier or audio-visual receiver.

In one example, the processor 202 may be a clock-driven computingcomponent configured to process input data according to instructionsstored in the memory 206. The memory 206 may be a tangiblecomputer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable bythe processor 202. For instance, the memory 206 may be data storage thatcan be loaded with one or more of the software components 204 executableby the processor 202 to achieve certain functions. In one example, thefunctions may involve the playback device 200 retrieving audio data froman audio source or another playback device. In another example, thefunctions may involve the playback device 200 sending audio data toanother device or playback device on a network. In yet another example,the functions may involve pairing of the playback device 200 with one ormore playback devices to create a multi-channel audio environment.

Certain functions may involve the playback device 200 synchronizingplayback of audio content with one or more other playback devices.During synchronous playback, a listener will preferably not be able toperceive time-delay differences between playback of the audio content bythe playback device 200 and the one or more other playback devices. U.S.Pat. No. 8,234,395 entitled, “System and method for synchronizingoperations among a plurality of independently clocked digital dataprocessing devices,” which is hereby incorporated by reference, providesin more detail some examples for audio playback synchronization amongplayback devices.

The memory 206 may further be configured to store data associated withthe playback device 200, such as one or more zones and/or zone groupsthe playback device 200 is a part of, audio sources accessible by theplayback device 200, or a playback queue that the playback device 200(or some other playback device) may be associated with. The data may bestored as one or more state variables that are periodically updated andused to describe the state of the playback device 200. The memory 206may also include the data associated with the state of the other devicesof the media system, and shared from time to time among the devices sothat one or more of the devices have the most recent data associatedwith the system. Other embodiments are also possible.

The audio processing components 208 may include one or moredigital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, anaudio enhancement component or a digital signal processor (DSP), and soon. In one embodiment, one or more of the audio processing components208 may be a subcomponent of the processor 202. In one example, audiocontent may be processed and/or intentionally altered by the audioprocessing components 208 to produce audio signals. The produced audiosignals may then be provided to the audio amplifier(s) 210 foramplification and playback through the speaker(s) 212. Particularly, theaudio amplifier(s) 210 may include devices configured to amplify audiosignals to a level for driving one or more of the speakers 212. Thespeaker(s) 212 may include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”)or a complete speaker system involving an enclosure with one or moredrivers. A particular driver of the speaker(s) 212 may include, forexample, a subwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), a mid-range driver(e.g., for middle frequencies), and/or a tweeter (e.g., for highfrequencies). In some cases, each transducer in the one or more speakers212 may be driven by an individual corresponding audio amplifier of theaudio amplifier(s) 210. In addition to producing analog signals forplayback by the playback device 200, the audio processing components 208may be configured to process audio content to be sent to one or moreother playback devices for playback.

Audio content to be processed and/or played back by the playback device200 may be received from an external source, such as via an audioline-in input connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-inconnection) or the network interface 214.

The network interface 214 may be configured to facilitate a data flowbetween the playback device 200 and one or more other devices on a datanetwork. As such, the playback device 200 may be configured to receivecontrol information (e.g., configuration information, keep-alive probes,channel probes, power savings information, etc.) and/or audioinformation (e.g., audio content and/or playback controls such as“play,” “pause,” “stop,” etc.) over the data network from one or moreother playback devices in communication with the playback device 200,network devices within a local area network, or audio content sourcesover a wide area network such as the Internet. In one example, the audiocontent and other signals transmitted and received by the playbackdevice 200 may be transmitted in the form of digital packet datacontaining an Internet Protocol (IP)-based source address and IP-baseddestination addresses. In such a case, the network interface 214 may beconfigured to parse the digital packet data such that the data destinedfor the playback device 200 is properly received and processed by theplayback device 200.

As shown, the network interface 214 includes wireless interface(s) 216and wired interface(s) 218. The wireless interface(s) 216 may providenetwork interface functions for the playback device 200 to wirelesslycommunicate with other devices (e.g., other playback device(s),speaker(s), receiver(s), network device(s), control device(s) within adata network the playback device 200 is associated with) in accordancewith a communication protocol (e.g., any wireless standard includingIEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobilecommunication standard, and so on). The wireless interface(s) 216 mayinclude one or more radios, which may be separately operable,selectively powered on/off, disabled/enabled, etc. based on one or moreconfiguration parameters and/or operating criterion. The wiredinterface(s) 218 may provide network interface functions for theplayback device 200 to communicate over a wired connection with otherdevices in accordance with a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3).While the network interface 214 shown in FIG. 2 includes both thewireless interface(s) 216 and the wired interface(s) 218, the networkinterface 214 may in some embodiments include only the wirelessinterface(s) 216 or only the wired interface(s) 218.

In one example, the playback device 200 and one other playback devicemay be paired to play two separate audio components of audio content.For instance, the playback device 200 may be configured to play a leftchannel audio component, while the other playback device may beconfigured to play a right channel audio component, thereby producing orenhancing a stereo effect of the audio content. The paired playbackdevices (also referred to as “bonded playback devices”) may further playaudio content in synchrony with other playback devices.

In another example, the playback device 200 may be sonicallyconsolidated with one or more other playback devices to form a single,consolidated playback device. A consolidated playback device may beconfigured to process and reproduce sound differently than anunconsolidated playback device or playback devices that are paired,because a consolidated playback device may have additional speakerdrivers through which audio content may be rendered. For instance, ifthe playback device 200 is a playback device designed to render lowfrequency range audio content (i.e., a subwoofer), the playback device200 may be consolidated with a playback device designed to render fullfrequency range audio content. In such a case, the full frequency rangeplayback device, when consolidated with the low frequency playbackdevice 200, may be configured to render only the mid and high frequencycomponents of audio content, while the low frequency range playbackdevice 200 renders the low frequency component of the audio content. Theconsolidated playback device may further be paired with a singleplayback device or yet another consolidated playback device.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered)for sale certain playback devices including a “PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,”“PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any otherpast, present, and/or future playback devices may additionally oralternatively be used to implement the playback devices of exampleembodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, it is understood that aplayback device is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 2 orto the SONOS product offerings. For example, a playback device mayinclude a wired or wireless headphone. In another example, a playbackdevice may include or interact with a docking station for personalmobile media playback devices. In yet another example, a playback devicemay be integral to another device or component such as a television, alighting fixture, or some other device for indoor or outdoor use.

b. Example Playback Zone Configurations

Referring back to the media playback system 100 of FIG. 1, theenvironment may have one or more playback zones, each with one or moreplayback devices. The media playback system 100 may be established withone or more playback zones, after which one or more zones maybe addedand/or removed to arrive at the example configuration shown in FIG. 1.Each zone may be given a name according to a different room or spacesuch as an office, bathroom, master bedroom, bedroom, kitchen, diningroom, living room, and/or balcony. In one case, a single playback zonemay include multiple rooms or spaces. In another case, a single room orspace may include multiple playback zones.

As shown in FIG. 1, the balcony, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, office,and bedroom zones each have one playback device, while the living roomand master bedroom zones each have multiple playback devices. In theliving room zone, the playback devices 104, 106, 108, 110 may beconfigured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playbackdevices, as one or more bonded playback devices, as one or moreconsolidated playback devices, or any combination thereof. Similarly, inthe case of the master bedroom, the playback devices 122, 124 may beconfigured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playbackdevices, as a bonded playback device, or as a consolidated playbackdevice.

In one example, one or more playback zones in the environment of FIG. 1may each be playing different audio content. For instance, the user maybe grilling in the balcony zone and listening to hip hop music beingplayed by the playback device 102 while another user may be preparingfood in the kitchen zone and listening to classical music being playedby the playback device 114. In another example, a playback zone may playthe same audio content in synchrony with another playback zone. Forinstance, the user may be in the office zone where the playback device118 is playing the same rock music that is being playing by playbackdevice 102 in the balcony zone. In such a case, the playback devices102, 118 may be playing the rock music in synchrony such that the usermay seamlessly (or at least substantially seamlessly) enjoy the audiocontent that is being played out-loud while moving between differentplayback zones. Synchronization among playback zones may be achieved ina manner similar to that of synchronization among playback devices, asdescribed in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395.

As suggested above, the zone configurations of the media playback system100 may be dynamically modified, and in some embodiments, the mediaplayback system 100 supports numerous configurations. For instance, if auser physically moves one or more playback devices to or from a zone,the media playback system 100 may be reconfigured to accommodate thechange(s). For instance, if the user physically moves the playbackdevice 102 from the balcony zone to the office zone, the office zone maynow include both the playback device 118 and the playback device 102.The playback device 102 may be paired or grouped with the office zoneand/or renamed if so desired via a control device such as the controldevices 126, 128. On the other hand, if the one or more playback devicesare moved to a particular area in the home environment that is notalready a playback zone, a new playback zone may be created for theparticular area.

Further, different playback zones of the media playback system 100 maybe dynamically combined into zone groups or split up into individualplayback zones. For instance, the dining room zone and the kitchen zonemay be combined into a zone group for a dinner party such that theplayback devices 112, 114 may render audio content in synchrony. On theother hand, the living room zone may be split into a television zoneincluding playback device 104, and a listening zone including playbackdevices 106, 108, 110, if the user wishes to listen to music in theliving room space while another user wishes to watch television.

In some embodiments, the example living room zone playback devices 104,106, 108, 110 are coupled to an audio information source such as atelevision. In some examples, the television is used as a source ofaudio for the living room zone playback devices 104, 106, 108, 110,while in other examples audio information from the television may beshared with any of the zone players 102-124 in the media playback system100.

c. Example Control Devices

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device 300that may be configured to be one or both of the control devices 126, 128of the media playback system 100 of FIG. 1. As shown, the control device300 of Figure includes a processor 302, memory 304, a network interface306, and a user interface 308. In one example, the control device 300may be a dedicated controller for the media playback system 100. Inanother example, the control device 300 may be a network device on whichmedia playback system controller application software may be installed,such as for example, an iPhone™, iPad™ or any other smart phone, tabletor network device (e.g., a networked computer such as a PC or Ma™).

The processor 302 may be configured to perform functions relevant tofacilitating user access, control, and configuration of the mediaplayback system 100. The memory 304 may be configured to storeinstructions executable by the processor 302 to perform those functions.The memory 304 may also be configured to store the media playback systemcontroller application software and other data associated with the mediaplayback system 100 and the user.

In one example, the network interface 306 may be based on an industrystandard (e.g., infrared, radio, wired standards including IEEE 802.3,wireless standards including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n,802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). Thenetwork interface 306 may provide a means for the control device 300 tocommunicate with other devices in the media playback system 100. In oneexample, data and information (e.g., such as a state variable) may becommunicated between the control device 300 and other devices via thenetwork interface 306. For instance, playback zone and zone groupconfigurations (e.g., configuration information) in the media playbacksystem 100 may be received by the control device 300 from a playbackdevice or another network device, or transmitted by the control device300 to another playback device or network device via the networkinterface 306. In some cases, the other network device may be anothercontrol device.

Playback device control commands such as volume control and audioplayback control (e.g., audio information) may also be communicated fromthe control device 300 to a playback device via the network interface306. As suggested above, changes to configurations of the media playbacksystem 100 may also be performed by a user using the control device 300.The configuration changes may include adding/removing one or moreplayback devices to/from a zone, adding/removing one or more zonesto/from a zone group, forming a bonded or consolidated player,separating one or more playback devices from a bonded or consolidatedplayer, among others. Accordingly, the control device 300 may sometimesbe referred to as a controller, whether the control device 300 is adedicated controller or a network device on which media playback systemcontroller application software is installed.

The user interface 308 of the control device 300 may be configured tofacilitate user access and control of the media playback system 100, byproviding a controller interface such as the controller interface 400shown in FIG. 4. The example controller interface 400 of FIG. 4 includesa playback control region 410, a playback zone region 420, a playbackstatus region 430, a playback queue region 440, and an audio contentsources region 450. The user interface 400 as shown is just one exampleof a user interface that may be provided on a network device such as thecontrol device 300 of FIG. 3 (and/or the control devices 126, 128 ofFIG. 1) and accessed by users to control a media playback system such asthe media playback system 100. Other user interfaces of varying formats,styles, and interactive sequences may alternatively be implemented onone or more network devices to provide comparable control access to amedia playback system.

The playback control region 410 may include selectable (e.g., by way oftouch or by using a cursor) icons to cause playback devices in aselected playback zone or zone group to play or pause, fast forward,rewind, skip to next, skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode,enter/exit repeat mode, enter/exit cross fade mode. The playback controlregion 410 may also include selectable icons to modify equalizationsettings, and playback volume, among other possibilities.

The playback zone region 420 may include representations of playbackzones within the media playback system 100. In some embodiments, thegraphical representations of playback zones may be selectable to bringup additional selectable icons to manage or configure the playback zonesin the media playback system, such as a creation of bonded zones,creation of zone groups, separation of zone groups, and renaming of zonegroups, among other possibilities.

For example, as shown in the illustrated example of FIG. 4, a “group”icon may be provided within each of the graphical representations ofplayback zones. The “group” icon provided within a graphicalrepresentation of a particular zone may be selectable to bring upoptions to select one or more other zones in the media playback systemto be grouped with the particular zone. Once grouped, playback devicesin the zones that have been grouped with the particular zone will beconfigured to play audio content in synchrony with the playbackdevice(s) in the particular zone. Analogously, a “group” icon may beprovided within a graphical representation of a zone group. In thiscase, the “group” icon may be selectable to bring up options to deselectone or more zones in the zone group to be removed from the zone group.Other interactions and implementations for grouping and ungrouping zonesvia a user interface such as the user interface 400 are also possible.The representations of playback zones in the playback zone region 420may be dynamically updated as playback zone or zone group configurationsare modified.

The playback status region 430 may include graphical representations ofaudio content that is presently being played, previously played, orscheduled to play next in the selected playback zone or zone group. Theselected playback zone or zone group may be visually distinguished onthe user interface, such as within the playback zone region 420 and/orthe playback status region 430. The graphical representations mayinclude track title, artist name, album name, album year, track length,and other relevant information that may be useful for the user to knowwhen controlling the media playback system via the user interface 400.

The playback queue region 440 may include graphical representations ofaudio content in a playback queue associated with the selected playbackzone or zone group. In some embodiments, each playback zone or zonegroup may be associated with a playback queue containing informationcorresponding to zero or more audio items for playback by the playbackzone or zone group. For instance, each audio item in the playback queuemay comprise a uniform resource identifier (URI), a uniform resourcelocator (URL) or some other identifier that may be used by a playbackdevice in the playback zone or zone group to find and/or retrieve theaudio item from a local audio content source or a networked audiocontent source, possibly for playback by the playback device.

In one example, a playlist may be added to a playback queue, in whichcase information corresponding to each audio item in the playlist may beadded to the playback queue. In another example, audio items in aplayback queue may be saved as a playlist. In a further example, aplayback queue may be empty, or populated but “not in use” when theplayback zone or zone group is playing continuously streaming audiocontent, such as Internet radio that may continue to play untilotherwise stopped, rather than discrete audio items that have playbackdurations. In an alternative embodiment, a playback queue can includeInternet radio and/or other streaming audio content items and be “inuse” when the playback zone or zone group is playing those items. Otherexamples are also possible.

When playback zones or zone groups are “grouped” or “ungrouped,”playback queues associated with the affected playback zones or zonegroups may be cleared or re-associated. For example, if a first playbackzone including a first playback queue is grouped with a second playbackzone including a second playback queue, the established zone group mayhave an associated playback queue that is initially empty, that containsaudio items from the first playback queue (such as if the secondplayback zone was added to the first playback zone), that contains audioitems from the second playback queue (such as if the first playback zonewas added to the second playback zone), or a combination of audio itemsfrom both the first and second playback queues. Subsequently, if theestablished zone group is ungrouped, the resulting first playback zonemay be re-associated with the previous first playback queue, or beassociated with a new playback queue that is empty or contains audioitems from the playback queue associated with the established zone groupbefore the established zone group was ungrouped. Similarly, theresulting second playback zone may be re-associated with the previoussecond playback queue, or be associated with a new playback queue thatis empty, or contains audio items from the playback queue associatedwith the established zone group before the established zone group wasungrouped. Other examples are also possible.

Referring back to the user interface 400 of FIG. 4, the graphicalrepresentations of audio content in the playback queue region 440 mayinclude track titles, artist names, track lengths, and other relevantinformation associated with the audio content in the playback queue. Inone example, graphical representations of audio content may beselectable to bring up additional selectable icons to manage and/ormanipulate the playback queue and/or audio content represented in theplayback queue. For instance, a represented audio content may be removedfrom the playback queue, moved to a different position within theplayback queue, or selected to be played immediately, or after anycurrently playing audio content, among other possibilities. A playbackqueue associated with a playback zone or zone group may be stored in amemory on one or more playback devices in the playback zone or zonegroup, on a playback device that is not in the playback zone or zonegroup, and/or some other designated device.

The audio content sources region 450 may include graphicalrepresentations of selectable audio content sources from which audiocontent may be retrieved and played by the selected playback zone orzone group. Discussions pertaining to audio content sources may be foundin the following section.

d. Example Audio Content Sources

As indicated previously, one or more playback devices in a zone or zonegroup may be configured to retrieve for playback audio content (e.g.according to a corresponding URI or URL for the audio content) from avariety of available audio content sources. In one example, audiocontent may be retrieved by a playback device directly from acorresponding audio content source (e.g., a line-in connection). Inanother example, audio content may be provided to a playback device overa network via one or more other playback devices or network devices.

Example audio content sources may include a memory of one or moreplayback devices in a media playback system such as the media playbacksystem 100 of FIG. 1, local music libraries on one or more networkdevices (such as a control device, a network-enabled personal computer,or a networked-attached storage (NAS), for example), streaming audioservices providing audio content via the Internet (e.g., the cloud), oraudio sources connected to the media playback system via a line-in inputconnection on a playback device or network device, among otherpossibilities.

In some embodiments, audio content sources may be regularly added orremoved from a media playback system such as the media playback system100 of FIG. 1. In one example, an indexing of audio items may beperformed whenever one or more audio content sources are added, removedor updated. Indexing of audio items may involve scanning foridentifiable audio items in all folders/directory shared over a networkaccessible by playback devices in the media playback system, andgenerating or updating an audio content database containing metadata(e.g., title, artist, album, track length, among others) and otherassociated information, such as a URI or URL for each identifiable audioitem found. Other examples for managing and maintaining audio contentsources may also be possible.

The above discussions relating to playback devices, controller devices,playback zone configurations, and media content sources provide onlysome examples of operating environments within which functions andmethods described below may be implemented. Other operating environmentsand configurations of media playback systems, playback devices, andnetwork devices not explicitly described herein may also be applicableand suitable for implementation of the functions and methods.

III. Example Wireless Radio Switching

The following definitions will be used throughout this disclosure:

The terms “spectrum” or “wireless spectrum” refer to a range of wirelesscommunications frequencies, where different “spectra” (multiplespectrum) refer to different ranges of wireless frequencies. Differentspectra may or may not overlap. Different spectra may or may not becontiguous (e.g., may or may not have spectra between them). In someexamples disclosed herein, the term spectrum refers to a regulatoryspectrum as defined by a regulatory agency such as the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) in the United States. For example, theFCC has allocated the “2.4 GHz spectrum” (or spectral band) to includethe frequency range of 2400 MHz to 2500 MHz for Industrial, Scientific,and medical applications. Additionally, the FCC has allocated the “5 GHzspectrum” (or spectral band) to include the frequency range of about5.17 GHz to about 5.835 GHz, with some excepted bands within that range.

The terms “channel,” “audio channel,” “control channel” and/or, moregenerally, “wireless channel” all refer to a distinct frequency ordistinct sub-range(s) of frequencies within one or more spectra that maybe used to transmit particular information. A channel may be a band offrequencies, a non-contiguous set of frequencies and bands, a frequencyhopping configuration, time division multiplexing, code divisionmultiplexing and/or any other type of communication frequencyarrangement.

The terms “primary,” “primary zone player” and/or “group master” referto a zone player configured to manage, control, and/or direct at leastsome aspects of a playback network having zero or more “satellite” zoneplayers. A “satellite” or “satellite zone player” refers to a zoneplayer configured to provide audio in combination with a primary zoneplayer. As described in more detail below, a primary zone playerincludes multi-concurrent wireless radios and a satellite zone playerincludes switching wireless radios. Both primary zone players andsatellite zone players may be configurable to operate in other playbackarrangements, such as in a zone group.

FIG. 5 shows an internal functional block diagram of an example primaryzone player 500 to manage wireless radios. The example primary zoneplayer 500 of FIG. 5 may be used to implement any of the example zoneplayers 102-124 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the example primary zoneplayer 500 may be used to implement one of the living room zone playbackdevices 104, 106, 108, 110. In the illustrated example, the playbackdevice 104 is a sound bar and a group master for the living room zoneplayback devices 104, 106, 108, 110. As used herein, a “sound bar”refers to a single playback device including an array of speakersarranged to replicate audio for video and to replicate audio in general.In some instances, a sound bar may simulate or partially simulate asurround sound experience. However, it should be understood that thedisclosure pertaining to the example “sound bar” could be applied to anyother suitable zone player.

Like the example zone player 200 of FIG. 2, the example primary zoneplayer 500 of FIG. 5 includes a processor 202, software components 204,memory 206, audio processing components 208, audio amplifier(s) 210 andspeaker(s) 212. These components are discussed in more detail above.More or less components may be included depending on the desiredconfiguration.

The example primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5 includes a networkinterface 502 having wired interface(s) 218, a first spectrum radio 504(Spectrum 1 radio) and a second spectrum radio 506 (Spectrum 2 radio).The wired interface(s) 218 are discussed above. The example networkinterface 502 includes the first spectrum radio 504 to communicate(e.g., transmit and/or receive) via a first wireless spectrum (e.g., the2.4 GHz spectrum). The example network interface 502 includes the secondspectrum radio 506 to communicate via a second wireless spectrumdifferent from the first wireless spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum).The example spectrum radios 504, 506 are multi-concurrent wirelessradios that may be enabled at the same time. Accordingly, the exampleprimary zone player 500 may simultaneously communicate via any or all ofthe wired interface(s) 218 and/or the spectrum radios 504, 506.

Each of the example wired interface(s) 218 and the example spectrumradios 504, 506 of FIG. 5 may have a unique identifier such as a uniqueMedia Access Control (MAC) address. Thus, each of the example wiredinterface(s) 218 and the example spectrum radios 504, 506 may beaddressed separately, and the example primary zone player 500 maycommunicate using any or all of the wired interface(s) 218 and/or thespectrum radios 504, 506 simultaneously if so desired.

The example primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5 also includes controlinterface(s) 508 and audio interface(s) 510. The control interface(s)508 may transmit and/or receive control information (e.g., configurationinformation, channel probes, keep-alive probes, power savingsinformation, etc.) via the first and/or second spectrum radios 504, 506.For example, the control interface(s) 508 may communicate configurationinformation (e.g., current and/or saved zone group configurationinformation) to one or more satellite zone players and/or communicateconfiguration information (e.g., current and/or saved zone groupconfiguration information) to one or more other zone players via thefirst spectrum radio 504. In some examples, the control interface(s) 508receive configuration information via the first spectrum radio 504 fromother zone players. In some examples, the control interface(s) 508request (e.g., periodically requests, aperiodically requests and/or as aone-time event) configuration information via the first spectrum radio504 from other zone players. The example control interface(s) 508additionally or alternatively communicates control information (e.g.,channel probes, keep-alive probes, etc.) to satellite zone players viathe second spectrum radio 506.

The example audio interface(s) 510 of FIG. 5 may transmit audioinformation and/or receive audio information (e.g., audio content,playback commands, etc.) via the wired interface(s) 218 and/or thespectrum radios 504, 506. For example, the audio interface(s) 510 mayreceive digital audio information from an Internet source, from a localnetworked source (e.g., a computer via a LAN) and/or from another hometheater component such as a television, a cable box, an optical mediaplayer (e.g., DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a digital media player, a videogame console and/or any other type of audio source. The example audiointerface(s) 510 further transmit received audio information to one ormore zone players, including standard zone players (e.g., via line-outconnection (e.g., RCA or optical output, TOSlink, etc.), or via a meshnetwork via the first spectrum radio 504, such as a 2.4 GHz wirelessspectrum) and/or satellite zone players (e.g., via a peer-to-peernetwork (sometimes referred to as a star network) via the first spectrumradio 504 and/or the second spectrum radio 506). In some examples, theaudio interface(s) 510 transmit the audio information, including a playcommand received from a controller (e.g., the example control devices126, 128 of FIG. 1 and/or the example control device 300 of FIG. 3)and/or other zone player, provided by the control interface(s) 508.Examples of operation of the example first spectrum radio 504, thesecond spectrum radio 506, the control interface(s) 508 and the audiointerface(s) 510 are described in more detail below.

As described above, the control interface(s) 508 may communicate controlinformation via the first and/or second spectrum radios 504, 506, andthe audio interface(s) 510 may communicate audio information via thewired interface(s) 218 and/or the spectrum radios 504, 506. Thus, insome examples, the control interface(s) 508 and the audio interface(s)510 communicate control information and audio information, respectively,via the first spectrum radio 504. In some examples, the controlinterface(s) 508 and the audio interface(s) 510 communicate controlinformation and audio information, respectively, via the second spectrumradio 506. In some examples, the control interface(s) 508 communicatecontrol information via the first spectrum radio 504 and the audiointerface(s) 510 communicate audio information via the second spectrumradio 506. In some examples, the control interface(s) 508 communicatecontrol information via the second spectrum radio 506 and the audiointerface(s) 510 communicate audio information via the first spectrumradio 504.

To manage power consumption of the primary playback device 500, theexample network interface 502 further includes a radio manager 512. Theexample radio manager 512 controls the power status of the spectrumradios 504, 506 based on the configuration of the primary playbackdevice 500 and content playback. The power status of a wireless radiorefers to whether the wireless radio is enabled (e.g., active,activated, “ON,” etc.) to transmit and/or receive information or thewireless radio is disabled (e.g., deactivated, “OFF,” etc.) fromtransmitting and/or receiving information in the respective spectrum. Inthe illustrated example, the radio manager 512 disables a wireless radiowhen the wireless radio is not being used to transmit and/or receiveinformation. The example radio manager 512 of FIG. 5 conserves power byfacilitating using the first spectrum radio 504 (e.g., the 2.4 GHzspectrum) for network connectivity and disabling the second spectrumradio 506 (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum).

In some examples, a wireless radio is an unused radio when the primaryzone player 500 is acting as a “stand-alone” zone (e.g., included in azone group of one playback device, etc.). For example, configurationinformation received at the control interface(s) 508 may indicate theprimary zone player 500 is not part of a bonded zone. In some examples,the radio manager 512 periodically activates the second spectrum radio506 (e.g., every three milliseconds, every three seconds, etc.) and thecontrol interface(s) 508 scan the second wireless spectrum (e.g., the 5GHz spectrum) for unused channels.

In some examples, a wireless radio is an unused radio when the primaryzone player 500 is part of a bonded group (sometimes referred to as a“bonded zone player”) but not playing audio content. For example, audioinformation, including a playback queue, one or more media items, one ormore items from an audio source, etc., received at the audiointerface(s) 510 may be indicative of playing audio content. When theaudio information indicates that the primary zone player 500 is notplaying audio, the example radio manager 512 of FIG. 5 disables thesecond spectrum radio 506.

In some examples, when the primary zone player 500 is a bonded zoneplayer, the radio manager 512 determines whether a satellite zone playerin the bonded zone is bridging traffic. For example, control information(e.g., bridging information) received at the control interface(s) 508may indicate that a satellite zone player is transmitting and/orreceiving information via a network router such as the example networkrouter 130 of FIG. 1. In addition or alternatively, audio informationreceived at the audio interface(s) 510 may indicate that a satellitezone player is transmitting and/or receiving information (e.g.,streaming audio from a cloud-based network). When the radio manager 512determines that no satellite zone players in the bonded zone arebridging traffic, the radio manager 512 of FIG. 5 disables the secondspectrum radio 506. For example, the radio manager 512 may determinethat no bridging information is received and/or that bridginginformation received indicates that no bridge trafficking is occurringin the bonded zone.

In some examples, after the radio manager 512 disables a spectrum radio,the radio manager 512 periodically re-enables the spectrum radio (e.g.,every three milliseconds, every three seconds, etc.). For example, whenthe radio manager 512 disables the second spectrum radio 506 afterdetermining that the primary zone player 500 is not part of a bondedzone, the radio manager 512 may temporarily enable the second spectrumradio 506 (e.g., for one second) before disabling the second spectrumradio 506 again. In some such examples, the control interface(s) 508 mayrequest configuration information from other zone players to determinewhether a configuration change was requested (e.g., via the controllers126, 128, 300, via another zone player, etc.). If the controlinterface(s) 08 determines that a configuration change was requested(e.g., an “add satellite” command was received, a request to join and/orform a bonded zone was received, etc.) and that the primary zone player500 is to be added to a bonded zone (e.g., with a satellite zoneplayer), the radio manager 512 of FIG. 5 stops disabling the secondspectrum radio 506. Methods, apparatus and system for adding the zoneplayer are described by, for example, by Beckhardt et al. in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/524,808, filed on Jun. 15, 2012, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some examples, when the radio manager 512 disables a wireless radioof a bonded zone player (e.g., no satellite zone players in the bondedzone are bridging traffic and the bonded zone player is not playingaudio content), the radio manager 512 of FIG. 5 waits for an indicationthat a satellite zone player in the bonded zone begins bridging trafficand/or the bonded zone player begins playing audio content. For example,when a satellite zone player begins bridging traffic (e.g., the wiredinterface(s) 218 indicate active data transferring, shows “link up,”etc.), the radio manager 512 enables the second spectrum radio 506 andtransfers the bridging traffic to the second spectrum radio 506.

To determine when the bonded zone player begins playing audio content,the control interface(s) 508 may receive audio information including acommand to play. For example, the control interface(s) 508 may receiveaudio information (e.g., a probe or other playback information) from acontroller to begin playing audio content. In other examples, thecontrol interface(s) 508 may receive audio information (e.g., a probe orother playback information including a command to begin playing audiocontent) from another zone player. For example, a user may press the“play” button on a satellite zone player, which then forwards a playcommand to the primary zone player 500.

In other examples, the control interface(s) 508 may receive a command tobegin playing audio content from another zone player that is not a partof the bonded zone, but is a part of the same media playback system asthe primary zone player 500. For example, referring to the mediaplayback system 100 of FIG. 1, the primary zone player in the “LivingRoom” zone (e.g., the sound bar 104) may receive control informationfrom the zone player 114 in the “Kitchen” zone, which may be the groupmaster (or control point) for the media playback system 100.

Additionally or alternatively, the bonded zone player begins playingaudio content when the audio interface(s) 510 receive and/or detect asignal (e.g., via a line-out connection such as RCA or optical output,TOSlink, etc.).

Although the primary zone player 500 shown in the example of FIG. 5includes two wireless spectrum radios (e.g., dual-concurrent wirelessradios), the primary zone player 500 may include any other number ofwireless spectrum radios. For example, the primary zone player 500 mayinclude wireless radios that operate at frequencies other than the 2.4GHz spectrum and the 5 GHz spectrum. In some such examples, the radiomanager 512 may enable and/or disable the additional wireless radiosusing a similar approach as described herein.

FIG. 6 shows an internal functional block diagram of an examplesatellite zone player 600 to provide audio in combination with theexample primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5. The example satellite zoneplayer 600 of FIG. 6 may be used to implement any of the example zoneplayers 102-124 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the example primary zoneplayer 500 may be used to implement any of the living room zone playbackdevices 104, 106, 108, 110 and/or may be satellite speakers (e.g.,left/right surround speakers, subwoofers, etc.) to complement a soundbar-type surround sound configuration.

Like the example zone player 200 of FIG. 2 and the example primary zoneplayer 500 of FIG. 5, the example satellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6includes a processor 202, software components 204, memory 206, audioprocessing components 208, audio amplifier(s) 210 and speaker(s) 212.These components are discussed in detail above. More or less componentsmay be included depending on the desired configuration. The examplesatellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6 includes a network interface 602having a switching spectrum radio 604 (Spectrum 1/2 radio) tocommunicate via a first wireless spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHz spectrum)and a second wireless spectrum different from the first wirelessspectrum (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum), and wired interface(s) 218. Thewired interface(s) 218 are discussed above.

In the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6, the switching spectrum radio 604communicates in the same two spectra as the first and second wirelessradios 504, 506. The example switching spectrum radio 604 maycommunicate in either the first spectrum (e.g., on a wireless channel inthe first spectrum) or the second spectrum (e.g., on a wireless channelin the second spectrum) at a given time. In some other examples, thedual spectrum wireless radios 504, 506 may communicate in both spectrasimultaneously or substantially simultaneously. In some examples, theswitching spectrum radio 504 is replaced with separate first and secondwireless radios, which may be similar or identical to the first andsecond wireless spectrum radios 504, 506 of FIG. 5. In some embodiments,each wireless radio is assigned a unique address (e.g., a MAC address).

The example satellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6 further includes controlinterface(s) 606 and audio interface(s) 608. The control interface(s)606 and the audio interface(s) 608 transmit and/or receive information(e.g., control information and/or audio information) via the switchingspectrum radio 604 and/or the wired interface(s) 218. The examplecontrol interface(s) 606 receive control information via a channel(e.g., from the primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5) in a first spectrum(e.g., Spectrum 1). The control information via the first spectrumindicates an audio channel in a second spectrum (e.g., Spectrum 2) viawhich audio information in addition to control information is to betransmitted to the satellite zone player 600 from the primary zoneplayer 500. The example control interface(s) 606 also transmit controlinformation, such as probe acknowledgments, configuration information,device information, and/or other information used for control and/orconfiguration of the satellite zone player 600 to a primary zone player500 and/or to standard zone players (e.g., the example playback device200 of FIG. 2).

The example audio interface(s) 608 of FIG. 6 receive audio informationto be played (e.g., via the speaker(s) 212). The audio information maybe received via an audio channel via which the switching spectrum radio604 is communicating. In some examples, the audio interface(s) 608determine that the received audio information has a high quality ofservice characteristic and/or a low latency, indicating that the audiois to be played as soon as possible and/or at a designated time. Theaudio interface(s) 608 may then process the received audio informationin accordance with the teachings of Beckhardt et al., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/524,808.

The example network interface 602 of FIG. 6 further includes a spectrumselector 610. The example spectrum selector 610 selects a wirelesscommunications channel in the first spectrum or the second spectrum andcauses the switching spectrum radio 604 to begin communicating on theselected channel.

In some examples, the control interface(s) 606 may receive anotification from a primary zone player that communication is to bechanged to a different channel in the second spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHzspectrum). This may occur if, for example, the channel being used hasbecome unsuitable for low-latency audio and another, more suitablechannel is available. The example control interface(s) 606 provide thenew channel to the spectrum selector 610, which causes the switchingspectrum radio 604 to change channels within the same spectrum. In someexamples, the control interface(s) 606 may receive a notification from aprimary zone player that communication is to be changed to a channel inthe first spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHz spectrum). This may occur if, forexample, the channel being used has become unsuitable for low-latencyaudio and no other more suitable channel is available in the secondspectrum (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum). The example control interface(s)606 provide the channel to the spectrum selector 610, which causes theswitching spectrum radio 604 to change channels and spectrum.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an example media playback system 700including multiple primary zone players 702, 704. The example primaryzone players 702, 704 may each be implemented by the example primaryzone player 500 of FIG. 5. The example primary zone players 702, 704include respective first spectrum radios 504 a, 504 b (e.g., the firstspectrum radio 504 of FIG. 5), second spectrum radios 506 a, 506 b(e.g., the second spectrum radio 506 of FIG. 5) and radio managers 512a, 512 b (e.g., the radio manager 512 of FIG. 5).

The example media playback system 700 of FIG. 7 also includes asatellite zone player 706, which may be implemented by the examplesatellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6. The example satellite zone player706 includes a switching spectrum radio 604 a (e.g., the switchingspectrum radio 604 of FIG. 6), which may be configured to communicatevia the first spectrum or the second spectrum, and wired interface(s)218 a (e.g., the wired interface(s) 218 of FIGS. 2 and/or 6), which iscommunicatively coupled to a network router 710. The example satellitezone player 706 of FIG. 7 is receiving data from the network router 710.For example, the satellite zone player 706 may be streaming cloud-basedaudio via the network router 710. The example satellite zone player 706is configured to communicate the data (e.g., audio information) receivedfrom the network router 710 via channels in the second spectrum (e.g.,the 5 GHz spectrum).

The example media playback system 700 of FIG. 7 also includes a standardzone player 708. The example standard zone player 708 may be implementedby the example zone player 200 of FIG. 2. The example standard zoneplayer 708 includes wireless interface(s) 216. In the illustratedexample, the example wireless interface(s) 216 are configured tocommunicate via channels in the first spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHzspectrum).

In the illustrated example of FIG. 7, the zone players 702, 704, 706,708 are grouped into two different zone groups 712, 714. The examplefirst zone group 712 is a bonded zone including the primary zone player702, the satellite zone player 706 and the standard zone player 708. Theexample second zone group 714 is a stand-alone zone including theprimary zone player 704. In the illustrated example, the primary zoneplayer 704 is a group master of the media playback system 700 andperiodically communicates control information (e.g., configurationinformation, keep-alive probes, channel probes, power savingsinformation, etc.) to the other zone players in the media playbacksystem 700. For example, although the primary zone players 702, 704 arenot part of the same zone group, the primary zone player 704 of FIG. 7is configured to communicate configuration information to the primaryzone player 702 via channels in the first spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHzspectrum).

In an example of operation, the satellite zone player 706 receives data(e.g., cloud-based audio content) from the network router 710 via thewired interface(s) 218 a. The satellite zone player 706 simultaneously(or nearly simultaneously) streams the audio information to the primaryzone player 702 via channels in the second spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHzspectrum). The primary zone player 706 may begin transmitting audioinformation to the standard zone player 708 via channels in the firstspectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHz spectrum).

The example radio managers 512 a, 512 b periodically check the usage ofthe wireless radios of the respective primary zone players 702, 704. Forexample, each of the radio managers 512 a, 514 b may check if power canbe conserved by disabling one or more of the wireless radios of therespective primary zone player 702, 704. As described above, a radiomanager disables a wireless radio when (1) the primary zone player isincluded in a bonded zone and (2) the bonded zone is not playing audiocontent and/or includes a satellite zone player that is not bridgingtraffic. Additionally or alternatively, the radio manager disables awireless radio of the primary zone player when the primary zone playeris not part of a bonded zone. In additional or alternative examples, theradio manager disables a wireless radio when the bonded zone includes anoffline playback device (e.g., a playback device that is unplugged,inaccessible, etc.)

In the illustrated example of FIG. 7, the radio manager 512 a of theprimary zone player 702 determines whether the primary zone player 702is in a bonded zone. For example, the primary zone player 702 mayretrieve current zone group configuration information stored in memory(e.g., the memory 206 of FIGS. 2 and/or 5). Additionally oralternatively, the primary zone player 702 may request, via channels inthe first spectrum, configuration information from the group master(e.g., the primary zone player 704). In the illustrated example, theconfiguration information indicates that the primary zone player 702 ispart of the first bonded zone 712.

In response to determining that the primary zone player 702 is in abonded zone (e.g., the bonded zone 712), the radio manager 512 adetermines whether the bonded zone 712 is currently playing audiocontent and/or a satellite zone player in the first bonded zone 712 isbridging traffic. For example, the radio manager 512 a may check if theprimary zone player 702 is receiving audio information (e.g., via anaudio interface). In the illustrated example, the satellite zone player706 is bridging traffic (e.g., receiving data from the network router710). In addition, the bonded zone 712 is playing audio content (e.g.,the cloud-based audio content received at the satellite zone player706). Thus, the radio manager 512 a of FIG. 5 does not disable either ofthe wireless radios 504 a, 506 a of the primary zone player 702.

The example radio manager 512 b of the primary zone player 704 alsochecks whether the primary zone player 704 can conserve power bydisabling a wireless radio. In the illustrated example, the radiomanager 512 b determines whether the primary zone player 702 is in abonded zone. For example, the primary zone player 704 may retrievecurrent zone group configuration information stored in memory (e.g., thememory 206 of FIGS. 2 and/or 6). In the illustrated example, theconfiguration information processed by the primary zone player 704indicates that, although the primary zone player 704 is in the zonegroup 714, the zone group 714 is not a bonded zone (e.g., is astand-alone zone). Accordingly, the example radio manager 512 b of FIG.7 disables a wireless radio. In the illustrated example, as the primaryzone player 704 is communicating control information to the primary zoneplayer 702 via channels in the first spectrum, the radio manager 512 bdisables the second spectrum radio 506 b (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum).

Additionally or alternatively, the primary zone player 704 may be partof a bonded zone with another zone player that is offline (e.g.,unplugged). In some such examples, the radio manager 512 b manages thewireless radios using a similar approach as that employed when theprimary zone player 704 is a stand-alone zone.

In response to disabling the second spectrum radio 506 b, the radiomanager 512 b of FIG. 7 periodically (e.g., every three milliseconds,every three seconds, etc.) enables the second spectrum radio 606 b andscans for unused channels in the second spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHzspectrum). For example, the radio manager 512 b may update a table ofused channels in the second spectrum (e.g., used by other playbackdevices in the playback system and/or other non-playback devices thatoperate using channels in the second spectrum) to reduce latency whenbeginning to playback audio content (e.g., may connect to an unusedchannel in the second spectrum upon startup). Additionally, the radiomanager 612 b determines if an “add satellite” command is received toform and/or join a bonded zone. The example radio manager 512 b thendisables the second spectrum radio 506 b if an “add satellite” commandis not received during a threshold time period that the second spectrumradio 506 b was enabled.

FIG. 8 shows the example media playback system 700 of FIG. 7 when asatellite zone player 802 has been added to the media playback system700. The example satellite zone player 802 includes a switching spectrumradio 604 b (e.g., the switching spectrum radio 604 of FIG. 6), whichmay be configured to communicate via the first spectrum or the secondspectrum, and wired interface(s) 218 b (e.g., the wired interface(s) 218of FIGS. 2 and/or 6).

In the illustrated example, the satellite zone player 802 is groupedwith the primary zone player 704 (e.g., an example bonded zone 804). Forexample, the satellite zone player 802 may be offline at a first time(e.g., unplugged) and then connect with the primary zone player 704 tore-establish the bonded zone 804 at a second time. Additionally oralternatively, the satellite zone player 802 may be a new satellite zoneplayer first added to the media playback system 700 and then groupedwith the primary zone player 704 to form the bonded zone 804 (e.g.,identified via an “add satellites” command included in controlinformation).

In an example of operation, the primary zone player 704 is communicatingaudio information to the satellite zone player 802 via channels in thesecond spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum). The primary zone player 704of FIG. 8 is also periodically (e.g., every three milliseconds, everythree seconds, etc.) communicating control information (e.g.,configuration information, keep-alive probes, channel probes, powersavings information, etc.) to the primary zone player 702. Additionallyor alternatively, the example primary zone player 704 may communicatecontrol information with the primary zone player 702 aperiodically(e.g., upon request) and/or as a one-time event.

The example radio managers 512 a, 512 b periodically check the usage ofthe wireless radios of the respective primary zone players 702, 704. Forexample, a radio manager may disable a wireless radio when the wirelessradio is not being used to communicate control information and/or audioinformation. In the illustrated example, the bonded zone 712 is notplaying audio. For example, the satellite zone player 706 of the bondedzone 712 may stop receiving data from the network router 710 to forwardto the primary zone player 702, a user may stop playback in the bondedzone 712 (e.g., via the controllers 126, 128 of FIG. 1 and/or thecontrol device 300 of FIG. 3), the end of a playback queue may bereached, etc. The example radio manager 512 a of the primary zone player702 determines that, while the primary zone player 702 is part of thebonded zone 712, the bonded zone 712 is not playing audio and thesatellite zone player 706 is not bridging traffic. As a result, theexample radio manager 512 a disables the second spectrum radio 506 a.The radio manager 512 a also communicates power savings information tothe satellite zone player 706 indicating that the second spectrum radio506 a is disabled. In the illustrated example, the example satellitezone player 706 determines whether the satellite zone player 706 iscommunicating with the primary zone player 702 via channels in thesecond spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum) and, as a result, thesatellite zone player 706 switches to communicating via channels in thefirst spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHz spectrum). The example radio manager512 a then waits for an indication that the satellite zone player 706begins bridging traffic and/or that the bonded zone 712 begins playingaudio content (e.g., via a play command included in audio informationoriginated by the control devices 126, 128, 300, by a zone player in thebonded group 712, by the group master (e.g., the primary zone player704) and/or via a signal detected by the audio interface(s) 510 of FIG.5).

The example radio manager 512 b of the primary zone player 704determines whether the primary zone player 704 is included in a bondedzone. For example, the radio manager 512 b may retrieve saved and/orcurrent zone group configuration information (e.g., from the memory 206of FIGS. 2 and/or 5). In the illustrated example, the saved and/orcurrent zone group information indicates that the primary zone player704 is part of the bonded zone 804. The example radio manager 512 b thendetermines whether the bonded zone 804 is playing audio content and/orthe satellite zone player 802 is bridging traffic. In the illustratedexample, the bonded zone 804 is playing audio content. As a result, theexample radio manager 512 b does not disable either of the wirelessradios of the primary zone player 704.

While an example manner of implementing the primary zone player 500 isillustrated in FIG. 5, and an example manner of implementing thesatellite zone player 600 is illustrated in FIG. 6, one or more of theelements, processes and/or devices illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 may becombined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated and/or implementedin any other way. Further, the example processor 202, the examplesoftware components 204, the example memory 206, the example audioprocessing components 208, the example audio amplifier(s) 210, theexample speaker(s) 212, the example first spectrum radio 504, theexample second spectrum radio 506, the example control interface(s) 508,the example audio interface(s) 510, the example radio manager 512, theexample switching spectrum radio 604, the example control interface(s)606, the example audio interface(s) 608, the example spectrum selector610, and/or more generally, the example primary zone player 500 of FIG.5 and/or the example satellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6 may beimplemented by hardware, software, firmware and/or any combination ofhardware, software and/or firmware.

Thus, for example, any of the example processor 202, the examplesoftware components 204, the example memory 206, the example audioprocessing components 208, the example audio amplifier(s) 210, theexample speaker(s) 212, the example first spectrum radio 504, theexample second spectrum radio 506, the example control interface(s) 508,the example audio interface(s) 510, the example radio manager 512, theexample switching spectrum radio 604, the example control interface(s)606, the example audio interface(s) 608, the example spectrum selector610, and/or more generally, the example primary zone player 500 of FIG.5 and/or the example satellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6 be implementedby one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits,programmable processor(s), application specific integrated circuit(s)(ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or fieldprogrammable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)).

When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent tocover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one ofthe example processor 202, the example software components 204, theexample memory 206, the example audio processing components 208, theexample audio amplifier(s) 210, the example speaker(s) 212, the examplefirst spectrum radio 504, the example second spectrum radio 506, theexample control interface(s) 508, the example audio interface(s) 510,the example radio manager 512, the example switching spectrum radio 604,the example control interface(s) 606, the example audio interface(s)608, the example spectrum selector 610, and/or more generally, theexample primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5 and/or the example satellitezone player 600 of FIG. 6 is/are hereby expressly defined to include atangible computer readable storage device or storage disk such as amemory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-raydisk, etc. storing the software and/or firmware. Further still, theexample primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5 and/or the example satellitezone player 600 of FIG. 6 may include one or more elements, processesand/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated in FIGS.5 and 6, and/or may include more than one of any or all of theillustrated elements, processes and devices.

Flowcharts representative of example machine readable instructions forimplementing the primary zone player 500 of FIG. 5 are shown in FIGS. 9,10 and/or 11. A flowchart representative of example machine readableinstructions for implementing the satellite zone player 600 of FIG. 6 isshown in FIG. 12. In these examples, the machine readable instructionscomprise a program for execution by a processor such as the processor202 shown in the example zone player 200 discussed above in connectionwith FIG. 2. The programs may be embodied in software stored on atangible computer readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppydisk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray disk, or amemory associated with the processor 202, but the entire program and/orparts thereof could alternatively be executed by a device other than theprocessor 202 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware.Further, although the example programs are described with reference tothe flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 9-12, many other methods ofimplementing the example primary zone player 500 and/or the satellitezone player 600 may alternatively be used. For example, the order ofexecution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocksdescribed may be changed, eliminated, or combined.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 9-12 may beimplemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machinereadable instructions) stored on a tangible computer readable storagemedium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-only memory(ROM), a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a cache, arandom-access memory (RAM) and/or any other storage device or storagedisk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extendedtime periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarilybuffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, theterm tangible computer readable storage medium is expressly defined toinclude any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage diskand to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. Asused herein, “tangible computer readable storage medium” and “tangiblemachine readable storage medium” are used interchangeably. Additionallyor alternatively, the example processes of FIGS. 9-12 may be implementedusing coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine readableinstructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/or machinereadable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-onlymemory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a cache, arandom-access memory and/or any other storage device or storage disk inwhich information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended timeperiods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering,and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the termnon-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined to includeany type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and toexclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. As usedherein, when the phrase “at least” is used as the transition term in apreamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same manner as the term“comprising” is open ended.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart representative of an example method 900 tomanage wireless radios in a playback device. The example method 900 maybe performed by any of the example primary zone players 500, 702 and/or704 of FIGS. 7, 8 and/or 8.

The example method 900 of FIG. 9 may be performed periodically,aperiodically or as a one-time event. The method 900 begins at block 902when the example primary zone player 500 determines whether the primaryzone player 500 is included in a bonded zone. For example, the controlinterface(s) 508 may request current configuration zone groupinformation from a group master. If, at block 902, the example controlinterface(s) 508 determine that the primary zone player 500 is not partof a bonded zone, control proceeds to the example method 1100 of FIG.11.

If, at block 902, the example control interface(s) 508 determine thatthe primary zone player 500 is part of a bonded zone, then, at block904, the primary zone player 500 determines whether the bonded zone isplaying audio. For example, the example radio manager 512 may checkwhether the example audio interface(s) 510 are receiving audioinformation (e.g., from a satellite zone player, a detected signal,etc.). If, at block 904, the example radio manager 512 determines thatthe bonded zone is playing audio, then control returns to block 902 towait and determine whether the primary zone player 500 is part of abonded zone.

If, at block 904, the example radio manager 512 determines that thebonded zone is not playing audio, then, at block 906, the radio manager512 disables a wireless radio included in the primary zone player 500 toconserve power. For example, the radio manager 512 may disable thesecond spectrum radio (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum). In some examples, theradio manager 512 may transmit control information (e.g., power savingsinformation) to other zone players in the bonded zone indicating thatthe second spectrum radio has been disabled.

In some examples, when the radio manager 512 determines that the bondedzone is not playing audio content, the radio manager 512 determineswhether a satellite zone player in the bonded zone is bridging traffic.If the radio manager 512 determines that the bonded zone does notinclude a satellite zone player bridging traffic, then control proceedsto block 908. Otherwise, control returns to block 902 to wait anddetermine whether the primary zone player 500 is part of a bonded zone.

At block 908, the example primary zone player 500 determines whether tocontinue managing the wireless radios. For example, the primary zoneplayer 500 may receive a power-off command, may include a timer toperiodically manage the wireless radios, etc. If, at block 908, theprimary zone player 500 determines that it is to continue managing thewireless radios (e.g., a timer is reset and the primary zone player 500periodically performs the power conserving techniques disclosed herein),then control returns to block 902 to wait and determine whether theprimary zone player 500 is part of a bonded zone.

If, at block 908, the example primary zone player 500 determines to notcontinue managing the wireless radios (e.g., a power-off command isreceived), then the example method 900 of FIG. 9 ends.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart representative of an example method 1000 tomanage wireless radios in a playback device. The example method 1000 maybe performed by any of the example primary zone players 500, 702 and/or704 of FIGS. 5, 7 and/or 8.

The example method 1000 of FIG. 10 may be performed when a bondedplayback device has a disabled wireless radio. The method 1000 begins atblock 1002 when the example primary zone player 500 determines whether areceived probe includes bridging information. For example, the radiomanager 512 may check control information received at the controlinterface(s) 508 (e.g., that originated at the controllers 126, 128,300, a zone player in the bonded zoned, another zone player that is agroup master, etc.) for bridging information indicating that a satellitezone player in the bonded zone is bridging traffic.

If, at block 1002, the radio manager 512 determines that the bonded zoneincludes a satellite zone player bridging traffic, then, at block 1004,the radio manager 512 enables the disabled wireless radio (e.g., thesecond spectrum radio 506). At block 1006, the radio manager 512transfers the bridging traffic to the second spectrum radio 506. Theradio manager 512 may transfer the bridging traffic in accordance withthe teachings of Beckhardt et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/524,808, for example.

If, at block 1002, the radio manager 512 determines that the bonded zonedoes not include a satellite zone player bridging traffic, then, atblock 1008, the primary zone player 500 determines whether a receivedprobe includes playback information. For example, the control interface508 may receive audio information (e.g., a playback command) including acommand to play audio content, which originated at the controllers 126,128, 300, a zone player in the bonded zoned, another zone player that isa group master, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the audiointerface(s) 510 may detect a signal (e.g., via a line-out connection(e.g., RCA or optical output, TOSlink, etc.)) and/or receive audioinformation.

If, at block 1008, the primary zone player 500 determines that thereceived probe did not include audio information, then control returnsto block 1002 and waits to receive another probe. If, at block 1008, theprimary zone player 500 determines that the received probe did includeplayback information (e.g., a play command), then, at block 1010, theradio manager 512 enables the disabled second spectrum radio 506.

After the radio manager 512 transfers the bridging traffic to the secondspectrum radio 506 at block 1006 or after the radio manager 512 enablesthe second wireless radio 506 at block 1010, then, at block 1012, theexample primary zone player 500 determines whether to continue managingthe wireless radios. For example, the primary zone player 500 mayreceive a power-off command, may include a timer to periodically managethe wireless radios, etc. If, at block 1012, the primary zone player 500determines to continue managing the wireless radios (e.g., a timer isreset and the primary zone player 500 periodically performs the powerconserving techniques disclosed herein), then control returns to block1002 to wait and to receive a probe.

If, at block 1012, the example primary zone player 500 determines to notcontinue managing the wireless radios (e.g., a power-off command isreceived), then the example method 1000 of FIG. 10 ends.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart representative of an example method 1100 tomanage wireless radios in a playback device. The example method 1100 maybe performed by any of the example primary zone players 500, 702 and/or704 of FIGS. 5, 7 and/or 8.

The example method 1100 of FIG. 11 may be performed when a determinationis made that the playback device is not at a bonded zone (e.g., at block902 of FIG. 9). The method 1100 begins at block 1102 when the exampleprimary zone player 500 disables a wireless radio. For example, theradio manager 512 may disable the second spectrum radio 506. At block1104, the primary zone player 500 initiates a timer. At block 1106, theprimary zone player 500 enables the disabled wireless radio. Forexample, the radio manager 512 enables the second spectrum radio 506. Atblock 1108, the primary zone player 500 scans the second spectrum forunused channels.

At block 1110, the example primary zone player 500 determines whether aprobe was received including a command to add a satellite zone player.For example, the control interface 508 may determine that controlinformation that originated at a controller 126, 128, 300, a groupmaster, and/or a satellite zone player includes an “add satellite”command. If, at block 1110, the control interface(s) 508 determine thatan “add satellite” command was not received, then, at block 1112, theprimary zone player 500 determines whether a threshold time passed andthe timer expired.

If, at block 1112, the primary zone player 500 determines that the timerhas not expired, control returns to block 1110 to wait and determinewhether another received probe includes an “add satellite” command. If,at block 1112, the primary zone player 500 determines that the timer hasexpired (e.g., a threshold time has passed), then control returns toblock 1102 and the second spectrum radio 506 is disabled.

If, at block 1110, the control interface(s) 508 determine that an “addsatellite” command was received, then, at block 1114, the radio manager512 does not disable the second spectrum radio 506. In some examples,the primary zone player 500 searches for the satellite zone player toadd and adds the satellite zone player in accordance with the teachingsof Beckhardt et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/524,808.Control then returns to block 902 of FIG. 9 to determine whether theprimary zone player is included in a bonded zone.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart representative of an example method 1200 tomanage a switching spectrum radio in a playback device. The examplemethod 1200 may be performed by any of the example satellite zoneplayers 600, 706 and/or 802 of FIGS. 6, 7 and/or 8.

The example method 1200 of FIG. 12 may be performed by the satellitezone player 600 when a probe including control information is obtained.The method 1200 begins at block 1202 when the example satellite zoneplayer 600 receives a probe from a primary zone player that is groupedwith the satellite zone player 600 (e.g., is in a bonded zone). Forexample, the satellite zone player 600 may receive control informationfrom the primary zone player 500 of FIGS. 5, 7 and/or 8 via channels inthe first spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHz spectrum). If, at block 1202, theexample satellite zone player 600 determines that the probe does notinclude power savings information, the control returns to block 1202 andwaits to receive another probe.

If, at block 1202, the satellite zone player 600 determines that theprobe does include power savings information, then, at block 1204, thesatellite zone player 600 determines whether the power savingsinformation indicates that the primary zone player 500 is to continueusing the current spectrum (e.g., the first spectrum). For example, thepower savings information may indicate that the primary zone player 500is disabling its first spectrum radio 504 and/or its second spectrumradio 506.

If, at block 1204, the satellite zone player 600 determines that theprimary zone player 500 is continuing to use the current spectrum, then,at block 1206, the satellite zone player 600 maintains connectivity withthe primary zone player 500 via the current spectrum (e.g., the firstspectrum). For example, the satellite zone player 600 may acknowledgethe probe by transmitting an acknowledgment message to the primary zoneplayer 500 via channels in the same spectrum. Control then returns toblock 1202 to wait to receive another probe from the primary zone player500.

If, at block 1204, the satellite zone player 600 determines that theprimary zone player 500 is not to continue using the current spectrum,then, at block 1208, the satellite zone player 600 switches spectrums tomaintain connectivity with the primary zone player 500. For example, thespectrum selector 710 may switch the switching spectrum radio 704 fromcommunicating via channels in the first spectrum to communicating viachannels in the second spectrum. In some examples, the satellite zoneplayer 600 may acknowledge receiving the power savings information bytransmitting an acknowledgment message to the primary zone player 500via channels in the new spectrum (e.g., the second spectrum). Controlthen returns to block 1202 to wait to receive another probe from theprimary zone player 500.

As an illustrative example, FIG. 13 shows an example environment 1300(e.g., a home theater system) in which certain embodiments may bepracticed. The example environment 1300 includes a television 1302 and aprimary zone player 1304 (e.g., a sound bar). The sound bar 1304communicates with (e.g., transmits information to and/or receivesinformation from) other zone players in the home theater system viafirst channels in a first wireless spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHz spectrum)and/or via second channels in a second wireless spectrum (e.g., the 5GHz spectrum). In the illustrated example, example zone players 1306,1307 include a wireless interface to communicate with the sound bar 1304via first channels in the first wireless spectrum. Example satellitespeakers 1308, 1309 and example subwoofer 1310 include a switchingspectrum radio that communicates with the sound bar 1304 via the firstwireless spectrum or the second wireless spectrum.

In an example of operation, the sound bar 1304 initially (e.g., onstartup, on adding a satellite zone player to the home theater system,etc.) communicates with the satellite speakers 1308, 1309 and thesubwoofer 1310 via the first wireless spectrum (e.g., the 2.4 GHzspectrum). For example, during configuration of the home theater zone,the home theater zone is not playing audio content and the sound bar1304 transmits control information to the zone players 1306, 1307, thesatellite speakers 1308, 1309 and the subwoofer 1310 via a selectedchannel in the first wireless spectrum.

The example sound bar 1304 periodically performs power savings checks todetermine whether power can be conserved by disabling a wireless radio(e.g., the second spectrum radio). For example, the sound bar 1304 maydetermine whether the sound bar 1304 is included in a bonded zone (e.g.,the home theater zone). In response to determining that the sound bar1304 is part of a bonded zone (e.g., the home theater zone), the soundbar 1304 determines whether the bonded zone is playing audio.

Additionally or alternatively, the sound bar 1304 may determine whethera satellite speaker 1308, 1309 and/or the subwoofer 1310 is bridgingtraffic. While the bonded zone is not playing audio and/or the satellitespeakers 1308, 1309 and/or the subwoofer 1310 are not bridging traffic,the sound bar 1304 disables the second wireless radio and continuescommunicating with the satellite speakers 1308, 1309 and the subwoofer1310 via the first spectrum. The example sound bar 1304 then monitorscommunications via the first spectrum for audio information indicating aplay command to begin playing audio has been received (e.g., via thezone players 1306, 1307, the satellite speakers 1308, 1309 and/or thesubwoofer 1310) and/or control information indicating that a satellitespeaker 1308, 1309 and/or the subwoofer 1310 is bridging traffic.

When the sound bar 1304 detects such control information, the examplesound bar 1304 enables the second spectrum radio and beginscommunicating with the satellite speakers 1308, 1309 and the subwoofer1310 via channels in the second spectrum (e.g., the 5 GHz spectrum). Forexample, in response to a play command detected in audio information,the sound bar 1304 may begin transmitting speaker specific audioinformation to the zone players 1306, 1307 via the first spectrum (e.g.,left surround channel audio to the zone player 1306 configured as afront-left surround speaker and right surround channel audio to the zoneplayer 1307 configured as a front-right surround speaker), and transmitspeaker specific audio information to the satellite speakers 1308, 1309and the subwoofer 1310 via the second spectrum (e.g., left surroundchannel audio to the satellite speaker 1308 configured as a rear-leftsurround speaker, right surround channel audio to the satellite speaker1309 configured as a rear-right surround speaker and low-frequencychannel audio to the subwoofer 1310). The example sound bar 1304 maycontinue periodically performing power savings checks to determinewhether power can be conserved by disabling a wireless radio (e.g., whenaudio playback is stopped, the satellite speakers 1308, 1309 and/or thesubwoofer 1310 stops bridging traffic, the sound bar 1304 is removedfrom the home theater zone configuration, etc.).

The description above discloses, among other things, various examplesystems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including,among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware.It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and shouldnot be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that anyor all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or componentscan be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software,exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the onlyway(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles ofmanufacture.

The playback device includes an audio interface to communicate audioinformation. The playback device also includes a radio manager todetermine, while the playback device is in a bonded zone, that theplayback device is not playing audio based on the audio information, andthe radio manager to disable communicating via a wireless radio when theplayback device is not playing audio.

In some embodiments, the audio information includes audio content, andthe radio manager is to determine that the playback device is playingaudio when the playback device is playing the audio content.

In some embodiments, the radio manager is to determine that the playbackdevice is playing audio when the audio information includes a playcommand.

In some disclosed examples, the play command is received at a secondplayback device included in the bonded zone.

In some disclosed examples, the play command is received at a thirdplayback device not included in the bonded zone.

In some disclosed examples, the audio interface is a line-outconnection, and the radio manager is to determine that the playbackdevice is playing audio when the audio interface receives a signal.

In some embodiments, the playback device further includes a controlinterface to communicate control information via a second wirelessradio, the second wireless radio to operate via a wireless spectrumdifferent than the wireless radio, and the radio manager is to determinethat the playback device is in a bonded zone based on the controlinformation.

In some disclosed examples, the audio interface is to communicate theaudio information via the second wireless radio.

In some disclosed examples, the audio interface is to communicate theaudio information via the wireless radio, and the radio manager is to,when the playback device is not playing audio, update the audiointerface to communicate the audio information via the second wirelessradio, and to disable communicating via the wireless radio.

In another aspect, a method of managing a wireless radio of a playbackdevice is provided. The method involves communicating audio informationvia an audio interface, identifying, while the playback device is in abonded zone, that the playback device is not playing audio based on theaudio information, and disabling communicating via the wireless radiowhen the playback device is not playing audio.

In some embodiments, identifying that the playback device is playingaudio includes determining that the playback device is playing audiocontent included in the audio information.

In some embodiments, the identifying that the playback device is playingaudio includes determining that the audio information includes a playcommand.

In some disclosed examples, the play command is communicated with acontroller or the play command is communicated with a second playbackdevice.

In some embodiments, the identifying that the playback device is playingaudio includes obtaining a signal via a line-out connection.

In some embodiments, the bonded zone includes the playback device and asecond playback device, the method further including disabling thewireless radio when the second playback device is offline.

In some disclosed examples, the bonded zone includes a third playbackdevice, the method further including disabling the wireless radio whenthe second playback device and the third playback device are offline.

In still other examples, the method further involves enabling thewireless radio in response to control information, obtained via a secondwireless radio, indicating that a second playback device included in thebonded zone is bridging traffic, and transferring the bridging trafficto the wireless radio.

In other disclosed examples, the method further involves disabling thewireless radio when the playback device is not in a bonded zone,initiating a timer, enabling the wireless radio, updating a list ofwireless channels accessed via the wireless radio, and disabling thewireless radio when (1) the playback device did not receive controlinformation to add the playback device to the bonded zone via a secondwireless radio and (2) the timer expires.

In yet another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions are executableby a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functionsincluding determining a playback device is in a bonded zone based oncontrol information communicated via a first wireless spectrum,determining that the playback device is playing audio based on audioinformation communicated via an audio interface, the audio informationto include at least one of audio content, a play command obtained at acontroller, a play command obtained at a bonded playback device groupedwith the playback device, a play command obtained at a non-bondedplayback device or a signal obtained via a line-out connection, and, inresponse to determining that the playback device is not playing audio,updating the audio interface to communicate via the first wirelessspectrum when the audio interface is arranged to communicate via asecond wireless spectrum different than the first wireless spectrum, anddisabling communicating via the second wireless spectrum.

In some disclosed embodiments, the audio information includes at leastaudio content, a playback command indicative of a play command obtainedat a controller, a playback command indicative of a play commandobtained at a bonded playback device grouped with the playback device, aplayback command indicative of a play command obtained at a non-bondedplayback device, and obtaining a signal via a line-out connection.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of aninvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible,non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on,storing the software and/or firmware.

We claim:
 1. A system comprising: (1) a first playback device comprisinga respective first wireless radio; (2) a second playback devicecomprising a respective first wireless radio; wherein each of the firstplayback device, the second playback device further comprise respectivetangible, non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructionsencoded therein, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause thefirst playback device and the second playback device to performfunctions comprising: establishing a bonded zone comprising at least thefirst playback and the second playback device; while in the establishedbonded zone: (i) playing audio, by the first playback device, insynchrony with the second playback device; and (ii) determining, by thefirst playback device, that the first playback device is no longercurrently playing audio in synchrony with the second playback device;after determining that the first playback device is no longer currentlyplaying audio in synchrony with the second playback device, the firstplayback device: (a) disabling communicating via the respective firstwireless radio of the first playback device by turning off therespective first wireless radio of the first playback device; and (b)sending a message to the second playback device to disable communicatingvia the respective first wireless radio of the second playback device;and in response to the second playback device receiving the message,disabling, by the second playback device, communicating via therespective first wireless radio of the second playback device.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause thefirst playback device and the second playback device to performadditional functions comprising: after turning off the respective firstwireless radio of the first playback device: determining, by the firstplayback device, that the first playback device is currently playingaudio in synchrony with the second playback device; and in response todetermining that the first playback device is currently playing audio insynchrony with the second playback device, the first playback deviceenabling communicating via the respective first wireless radio of thefirst playback device.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein determiningthat the first playback device is currently playing audio in synchronywith the second playback device comprises determining, by the firstplayback device, that the first playback device has received, fromanother network device, a command to play the audio.
 4. The system ofclaim 2, wherein determining that the first playback device is currentlyplaying audio in synchrony with the second playback device comprisesdetermining, by the first playback device, that the first playbackdevice has detected a signal on an audio input interface of the firstplayback device.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein (1) the firstplayback device further comprises a respective second wireless radio;(2) the second playback device further comprises a respective secondwireless radio; and wherein the instructions, when executed, cause thefirst playback device and the second playback device to performadditional functions comprising: while communicating via the respectivefirst wireless radio of the first playback device and communicating viathe respective first wireless radio of the second playback device aredisabled, communicating, by the first playback device, via therespective second wireless radio of the first playback device with therespective second playback device via the second wireless radio of thesecond playback device.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein theinstructions, when executed, cause the first playback device and thesecond playback device to perform additional functions comprising:detecting, by the first playback device, that the first playback deviceis communicating via the respective second wireless radio of the firstplayback device with the second playback device via the respectivesecond wireless radio of the second playback device; and in response todetecting that the first playback device is communicating via therespective second wireless radio of the first playback device with thesecond playback device via the respective second wireless radio of thesecond playback device: (1) enabling, by the first playback device,communicating via the respective first wireless radio of the firstplayback device; and (2) after enabling communicating via the firstwireless radio of the first playback device, communicating via therespective first wireless radio of the first playback device with thesecond playback device via the respective first wireless radio of thesecond playback device.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the respectivefirst wireless radio of the first playback device comprises a 5 GHzradio, and wherein the respective second wireless radio of the firstplayback device comprises a 2.4 GHz radio.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein determining that the first playback device is no longercurrently playing audio in synchrony with the second playback devicecomprises: determining that the first playback device is no longercurrently playing audio in synchrony with the second playback devicebased on lack of control information received from the second playbackdevice.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the firstplayback device is no longer currently playing audio in synchrony withthe second playback device comprises: determining that the firstplayback device is no longer currently playing audio in synchrony withthe second playback device based on the first playback device not beingin a bridging mode.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein determining thatthe first playback device is no longer currently playing audio insynchrony with the second playback device comprises: determining thatthe first playback device is no longer currently playing audio insynchrony with the second playback device based on the first playbackdevice not playing audio content.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein theinstructions, when executed, cause the first playback and the secondplayback device to perform additional functions comprising: sendingcontrol information via the respective first wireless radio of the firstplayback device; and sending audio information via the respective secondwireless radio of the first playback device, wherein the respectivefirst wireless radio of the first playback device comprises a 5 GHzradio, and wherein the respective second wireless radio of the firstplayback device comprises a 2.4 GHz radio.
 12. The system of claim 1,wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the first playback andthe second playback device to perform additional functions comprising:receiving audio content via the respective first wireless radio of thefirst playback device; and sending audio information via the respectivesecond wireless radio of the first playback device to the secondplayback device, wherein disabling communicating via the respectivefirst wireless radio further comprises: continuing to receive audiocontent via the respective second wireless radio of the first playbackdevice after the respective first wireless radio of the first playbackdevice has been disabled.
 13. A method comprising: establishing a bondedzone comprising at least a first playback and a second playback device,wherein the first playback device comprises a respective first wirelessradio, and wherein the second playback device comprises a respectivefirst wireless radio; while in the established bonded zone: (1) playingaudio, by the first playback device, in synchrony with the secondplayback device; and (2) determining, by the first playback device, thatthe first playback device is no longer currently playing audio insynchrony with the second playback device; after determining that thefirst playback device is no longer currently playing audio in synchronywith the second playback device, the first playback device: (i)disabling communicating via the respective first wireless radio of thefirst playback device by turning off the respective first wireless radioof the first playback device; and (ii) sending a message to the secondplayback device to disable communicating via the respective firstwireless radio of the second playback device; and in response to thesecond playback device receiving the message, disabling, by the secondplayback device, communicating via the respective first wireless radioof the second playback device.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein,while in the established bonded zone, the first playback devicecomprises a center channel configuration and the second playback devicecomprises a rear channel configuration.
 15. The method of claim 13,wherein the respective first wireless radio of the first playback devicecomprises a 5 GHz radio.
 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:after turning off the respective first wireless radio of the firstplayback device: determining, by the first playback device, that thefirst playback device is currently playing audio in synchrony with thesecond playback device; and in response to determining that the firstplayback device is currently playing audio in synchrony with the secondplayback device, the first playback device enabling communicating viathe respective first wireless radio of the first playback device. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the first playbackdevice is currently playing audio in synchrony with the second playbackdevice comprises determining, by the first playback device, that thefirst playback device has received, from another network device, acommand to play the audio.
 18. The method of claim 16, whereindetermining that the first playback device is currently playing audio insynchrony with the second playback device comprises determining, by thefirst playback device, that the first playback device has detected asignal on an audio input interface of the first playback device.
 19. Themethod of claim 13, wherein (1) the first playback device furthercomprises a respective second wireless radio; (2) the second playbackdevice further comprises a respective second wireless radio, the methodfurther comprising: while communicating via the respective firstwireless radio of the first playback device and communicating via therespective first wireless radio of the second playback device aredisabled, communicating, by the first playback device, via therespective second wireless radio of the first playback device with thesecond playback device via the respective second wireless radio of thesecond playback device.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein therespective second wireless radio of the first playback device comprisesa 2.4 GHz radio.
 21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:detecting, by the first playback device, that the first playback deviceis communicating via the respective second wireless radio of the firstplayback device with the second playback device via the respectivesecond wireless radio of the second playback device; and in response todetecting that the first playback device is communicating via therespective second wireless radio of the first playback device with thesecond playback device via the respective second wireless radio of thesecond playback device: (1) enabling, by the first playback device,communicating via the respective first wireless radio of the firstplayback device; and (2) after enabling communicating via the firstwireless radio of the first playback device, communicating via therespective first wireless radio of the first playback device with thesecond playback device via the respective first wireless radio of thesecond playback device.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein therespective first wireless radio of the first playback device comprises a5 GHz radio, and wherein the respective second wireless radio of thefirst playback device comprises a 2.4 GHz radio.
 23. A first playbackdevice comprising: a respective first wireless radio that facilitatescommunication with a second playback device having a respective firstwireless radio; at least one processor; and a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium; and program instructions stored on thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium that, when executed bythe at least one processor, cause the first playback device to performfunctions comprising: establishing a bonded zone with a second playbackdevice; while in the established bonded zone: (i) playing audio insynchrony with the second playback device; and (ii) determining that thefirst playback device is no longer currently playing audio in synchronywith the second playback device; after determining that the firstplayback device is no longer currently playing audio in synchrony withthe second playback device: (a) disabling communicating via therespective first wireless radio of the first playback device by turningoff the respective first wireless radio of the first playback device;and (b) sending a message to the second playback device to disablecommunicating via the respective first wireless radio of the secondplayback device and thereby causing the second playback device todisable communicating via the respective first wireless radio of thesecond playback device.